MercerMe is more than a news website. We offer a free weekly e-newsletter with the best of MercerMe delivered right to your inbox. By entering your information, you are “opting in” to our list.

We are hate spam too. We will never sell your email address or use it for any purpose other than delivering you news, events, and community updates from around Mercer County. By entering your town, we’ll best know how to get the news that’s most important to you.

We’re also on Facebook and Twitter — so follow us so you never miss a beat!

Mercer County Preserves Small but Significant Plot in Hopewell Township

Mercer County has finalized the purchase of a small but historically significant lot in Hopewell Township.

Referred to as the “Peters Property,” this almost 1-acre property on Church Road is an important trail link and creek crossing on Baldpate Mountain. The land contains the Honey Hollow Bridge abutment, where the bridge once crossed the Fiddlers Creek along Honey Hollow Road.

The area itself is historically significant. Known as the Honey Hollow settlement on Baldpate Mountain, it is the location of a long-forgotten community believed to have been in existence from at least the early 19th century into the mid-20th century and settled by African-American families. The Mercer County Park Commission has hired well-respected Hunter Research, which will undertake historical and genealogical research on the subject of Honey Hollow.

“The richness of Mercer County’s history cannot be overstated, and it’s truly exciting to discover the heritage of this settlement and its people,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes. “Our ultimate goal is to share the story of these early settlers and how they helped shape this great County.”

The proposal for the property is to construct a pedestrian bridge at the remaining bridge abutments for access over Fiddlers Creek. The purchase price was $20,000 and was funded through the county Open Space, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, and the D&R Greenway assisted by providing legal representation.

More than 20 percent of the developable land in Mercer County has been preserved by the County and/or its partners.